An Interview with Sharon Woodhouse by Rochelle Melander Hi, Sharon, Welcome to the blog! And congrats on your new book. Can you tell us about The Profitable Author? Thanks, Rochelle! Everything in The Profitable Author: 1,001 Ways to Build a Business You Love Around Your Books is based in my personal experience and observations from my 25...Read More

by Rochelle Melander There was a time in my life when I experienced severe anxiety. Searching for a solution, I bought books. At the time, most of the books I could find on the topic were long, academic tomes. I felt overwhelmed and tired as I paged through the books looking for the most helpful...Read More

by Rochelle Melander Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world. – Robert McKee You’ve got information to tell your readers. You want to teach them how to do something new, shift their mindset, or help them overcome challenges. You can write at them, like the yapping salesperson at the fair,...Read More

by Rochelle Melander I’m not talking about fish hooks, command hooks, or even bell hooks. “Hooks” are what makes your book topic resonate with readers. Your book topic needs to have multiple hooks so that it will attract readers. For example, you might have a nonfiction book about creativity. Great. What are other hooks? Are...Read More

by Rochelle Melander The market is bursting with books. Because of self-publishing, more people are publishing books than ever before. According to Bowker, the company who issues ISBN numbers, 2.3 million books were self-published in the US in 2021, which was the third year in a row that more than 2 million books were self-published. That’s up...Read More

July 14, 2020     Note From Rochelle     Dear Writers,   Every Friday this summer, I’m posting great book recommendations and writing tips from favorite writers on the blog. Check it out!   Today, I’m delighted to welcome author and entrepreneur Angela Ackerman to the blog to talk about using the FAR Marketing...Read More

July 16, 2019     Note From Rochelle   Dear Writers,   It’s Saturday morning, and I’m working at Starbucks. It’s day 13 without Internet or phone service—thanks to ATT’s poor customer service. Despite multiple promises—empty ones—they haven’t fixed it. They’ve scheduled and failed to show up for 3 service calls. You can be sure...Read More

May 8, 2018     Note From Rochelle   Dear Readers,   Do you need a book to boost your business but don’t have time to write it? Check your computer: you may have already written it. Blog posts, articles and speeches can all be compiled into a book. If that’s of interest to you,...Read More

April 17, 2018     Note From Rochelle   Dear Readers,   Last week, I had the opportunity to speak with a writer’s group in Gurnee, IL, about how to start a blog. In that talk, I shared how blogs can be a helpful tool for test marketing a book idea. Today’s tip talks about why...Read More

February 7, 2017   Note From Rochelle   Dear Writers,   I’m delighted to bring you my interview with Fauzia Burke, the founder and president of FSB Associates, an online publicity and marketing firm that works primarily with authors. She’s helped many authors reach their readers and has written a book about how you can do...Read More